


The Difference a Pearl Can Make

by HestiaDragonfly



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: And she's not impressed, Episode: s01e49 Jailbreak, Friendship, Gen, Homeworld indoctrination, Original Character(s), Pearl has to teach another Pearl, Post-Episode: s01e49 Jailbreak, mute character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2018-10-06
Packaged: 2019-07-01 06:33:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15768555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HestiaDragonfly/pseuds/HestiaDragonfly
Summary: We all know how Jailbreak went. But what would happen if Jasper and Peridot weren't alone on that ship?A disgraced Pearl ends up being the unlikeliest of allies, and (if Steven can work his magic and Pearl can leave her past behind her) perhaps even the loyalest of friends.





	1. The Arrival

"Pearl!" 

The deep shout echoed around the ship. Pearl stood to attention, hands effortlessly forming the diamond salute. Thumping footsteps approached, and Jasper strode into the room, her intense stare finding Pearl immediately. 

"Are the cells prepared?" she demanded. Pearl bowed her head in answer. 

Jasper sneered, her hand reaching out to snatch Pearl's chin, forcing their eyes to meet. Pearl kept her eyes lowered, her hands never wavering from their salute.

The larger gem growled at her lack of response and dropped her abruptly. 

"Pathetic." She moved away, and Pearl ducked her head down, allowing her long hair to cover her eyes again. 

"How could anyone choose a defective pearl?"

Pearl stared at the floor, not even flinching as Jasper pushed past her, to the window where the blue sphere of Earth grew steadily larger.

....

Pearl was still standing at her post when Jasper carried the defeated rebels onto the ship, her hands folded perfectly behind her back. Hours passed, and yells and shouts began to fill the silence as the rebels reformed, as well as...singing. Pearl looked up, breaking her perfect stance. Never had she wanted to leave her post so much. She knew that sound- she would recognise the singing of a Sapphire anywhere. But what was a Sapphire doing with the rebels?!

"Hey!" the loud voice broke her from her musings. She glanced up to see the Peridot tapping her foot in annoyance. She stood to attention, hands saluting as she awaited her orders.

"Take over the controls and set a course for Homeworld!" She hurried to obey as the green gem moved towards the far wall, tinkering with... Something. 

Pearl sat delicately and plunged her hands into the control board, data and figures taking over her mind and sight. Under her direction, the ship turned smoothy and began to speed up, heading back to Homeworld.

The peace of the controls was shattered when yells began to fill the room. Pearl looked up, her concentration failing and hands rising from the panel as the ship stuttered to a halt. A fight had broken out in control room, the prisoners had escaped, and Peridot was tied up on the floor with what looked to be a particularly small Amethyst standing over her. 

A sudden war cry rushed towards her, and to her surprise (and horror) she saw another Pearl, a much paler one, brandishing a spear towards her. With a silent gap of terror, she sheilded her gem and curled up on the seat, waiting for the hit. Amazingly, none came. She looked up to find that the Pearl had been stopped by what seemed to be a human, could that be her master? In her frozen state, she watched as the human slowly approached, hands held before it as if comforting a wild animal.

Slowly, sound began to filter through the panic, and the human's calm voice helped to chase away what remained. 

"See, Pearl? She isn't dangerous, she's scared. She looks a lot like you actually..." 

Before the human's Pearl could answer, the ship suddenly shook, tilting slowly. The former prisoners scrambled to find their footing, and in the confusion Peridot managed to break free of the Amethyst, wielding a destabiliser she'd grabbed from one of her many hiding places. 

Finding her balance with relative ease due to her limb enhancers, she lunged at the Amethyst, who barely dodged, not expecting the attack. Peridot looked to Pearl, who was still sat, half curled up, watching as the room descended into chaos.

"Pearl! What are you doing? You clod! Take the controls!" Peridot yelled. 

Black Pearl turned around to face the controls, preparing to do just that, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She looked over to see the other Pearl staring at her with an unreadable expression. 

"You don't have to do that. You don't have to do whatever she says." She said in a quiet, but hard voice. Black Pearl stared at her, not quite understanding. A cry from Peridot caught her attention and she looked over to see that the technician was once again wrapped up in the Amethyst's whip. Seeing where exactly the green gem was, Black Pearl quickly turned to alert the former prisoners, but it was too late- Peridot's gem had activated the escape shuttle, and she was gone. 

All eyes in the room turned to look at her, and she shrank back from their scrutiny. The other Pearl looked to be about to say something, but before she could the door opened and a quartz-sized purple gem entered the room to an excited welcome. 

"We need to move! This ship's going down!" She shouted. She turned to face the controls, and Pearl could almost feel her gaze through the visor the larger gem wore. She made her way towards Pearl, and crouched before her.

"Can you take us down to Earth? I know you're scared, but Jasper and Peridot are gone and this ship isn't safe. I promise that no-one here will hurt you" the gem said calmly. Pearl nodded. If Jasper and Peridot had been defeated, these gems were her new owners, just like their other pearl. 

She raised her arms in a perfect diamond salute, only to be stopped by the other gem. "You don't need to do that." Her voice was still calming, but there was a hard edge to it which wasn't present before.

Pearl bowed her head, not wanting to upset her new masters, and submerged her hands into the control panel again. The ship was sluggish and hard to control, the loss of an engine weighing heavily on it. Slowly, steadily though she managed to turn the giant hand around, and set it to return to its take-off point. Just as their destination came into view, a small yellow area near a huge statue, the engines failed, and the ship began to fall rapidly. Pearl looked around for the large gem, but she was already by her side.

"There's nothing you can do to slow the descent." The gem said, almost as if she was reassuring her, a pearl, for her failure. She shook herself out of her thoughts, and looked around to see that the former prisoners were gathering together close to her. The human was trying to form some sort of pink bubble, but it dissipated each time before it reached it's full size.

"I can't do it." It said, it's voice strange and very different to the voice of any gem Pearl had ever heard.

"Yes you can Steven, I know you can." The other Pearl stated. She looked on with horror. A Pearl, speaking with such authority? Only a diamond's Pearl would dare, and even then the authority was false. 

The human tried again without success. The ground here closer, and alarms were beginning to sound. 

"I can't make one that big. If we all squish together I might be able to, but I can't fit her in." The human said, it's strange voice filled with regret. 

"Yes you can." The tall gem stated, striding towards Pearl. She crouched down again, so her visor was eye level with Pearl's dark fringe-covered eyes. 

"We can't fit you in the bubble to keep you safe as you are. Would you be willing to retreat into your gem so we can keep you safe?" Pearl frowned, wondering why the gem was asking. Whenever her Sapphire wanted her to change her outfit or retreat into her gem, she just destroyed her form without a word. Being asked first was a strange request, but it wasn't like there was a choice either way. She nodded once, barely concealing her shaking hands. She hated it when her Sapphire destroyed her form - the ice she used still burned after she reformed. 

The gem stood, and apparently signalled to the other Pearl to come forward. A shining spear was pulled from a white gem, so different to her dark stone, and with deadly accuracy it was plunged into her chest. 

There was a moment of nothing, and with a soft pop, she retreated into the cool comfort of her gemstone.


	2. Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven waits for the new Pearl to Reform. What will she be like, now the danger is over? Can Steven befriend her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the second chapter of The Difference a Pearl Can Make. I was overwhelmed and delighted by the response to the first chapter, thank you to everyone who reviewed and left Kudos. I hope you like this chapter, and thank you all for inspiring to write even more of this story!

Steven flopped down on the sofa in his room and looked at the black pearl which lay inert on a cushion. Once they had returned to the house, after the dramatic showdown in the beach with Malachite, Garnet had sat him down with a reluctant Pearl and explained about the workings of Homeworld, and the place of Pearls there. It has stunned him at first- there were other Pearls?! But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. And he didn't care if there were a million other Pearls- his was still the best. He had been given a huge teary hug when he had told Pearl that.

It also explained the Black Pearl's behaviour. At least, that's what Pearl had called her. A Black Pearl, one of the rarest and most valuable types of Pearl- reserved only for the favourite elites. She wasn't a threat, Garnet had made that clear. But something was wrong with her, something that Garnet couldn't- or wouldn't- share.

But it had been a month since then. Pearl had explained that a gem who felt unsure or threatened could stay inside their gem for prolonged periods of time. Steven had tried reassuring the dark sphere, covering it in a warm blanket and even singing to it, but still nothing. 

He swung himself upright, preparing to get himself a snack when the Warp Pad lit up and Garnet stepped off. 

"Garnet!" He ran towards her and hugged her legs. "What are you doing back? I thought you were looking for Malachite?"

"I was. But I Saw that I was needed here more. "

"Needed here? Why? Is Lapis and Jasper’s fusion coming here? Is there an attack?"

Garnet stopped his hurried questions with a gentle hand on his head.

"Not quite. Our guest is coming back."

"Our guest? What guest? Oh! You mean the other Pearl? She's not back yet, I just looked."

"Look again" Garnet responded, sounding vaguely amused.

He looked around to the table, and sure enough, the black gem was glowing dimly, as if afraid to be seen. He made his way over to it and say on the sofa, followed by Garnet. Moving slowly, he picked the gem up, feeling the gentle warmth of its glow, and began talking softly to it, whispering words of reassurance and encouragement.

Steadily, the glow grew brighter until the gem lifted into the air, forming a white figure, which began shifting through different forms. For over a minute they watched as it cycled through form after form, each minutely different to the last. Finally, it settled on a form, and the lithe gem landed gracefully in the middle of the room, long skirts shifting as she sank into a deep curtsey.

Her body, a deep, rich grey stood out against her sheer white skirt, the material so thin it was almost just an outline. Leading from that, a black leotard was just visible beneath the skirt, a cut out at her navel forming a diamond, and another much smaller outline just below the collarbone where the curved neckline met. Her eyes were obscured by a long fringe, and shining dark hair hung down to her legs, perfectly smooth and straight. White ballet shoes completed the look, the perfect picture of grace and doll-like beauty. 

Steven approached her slowly, with a huge smile on his face. “Hi! I’m Steven! I’m so glad you’re back!” he exclaimed, his voice excited but gentle.

The dark gem remained unwavering in her position. Steven frowned, stopping just before her.

“We don’t own you, you know. You don’t have to do that anymore.” He said, troubled. 

Slowly, so slowly, Black Pearl straightened, her hands still folded neatly before her.

“See? That’s better. Now, you’re Pearl, right?” she nodded. “Okay, we already have a Pearl, so we may need to find a nickname for you. Would that be ok?” She looked a little confused but gave another nod.

"Alright! Now to think of a name. Hmm..." His brows furrowed in thought. " How about... Shadow!" He said triumphantly. "What do you think, Garnet?"

The fusion smiled, readjusting her visor. "I like... 'Merla'" she said, her smile growing wider. 

“Oh yeah! Just like the name of the Night Witch in the Spirit Morph Saga! I love her!” His eyes filled with stars. "It's perfect!" He said reverently. He turned back to Black Pearl. 

"What do you think, Pearl? Do you like Merla?" 

The dark gem’s head shot up, surprise at her opinion being consulted evident despite her hidden eyes and continued silence. After a moment, a small smile settled on her lips and she nodded once.

“All right!” he cheered triumphantly with an excited leap. He soon stopped, though, and looked at the newly named Merla with concern. 

“You can speak to us, you know. We won’t hurt you for being you.” He said. Merla’s small smile vanished as if it had never been, and she looked down once again. 

Steven frowned at her reaction. “You… can speak, can’t you?” An almost imperceptible shake of the head was the only answer.

“But… not ever? Why?” the boy stuttered. Garnet came up behind him and knelt down, placing a hand on his shoulder. 

“Homeworld did some awful things after the war started. They started making gems unable to rebel, especially the lower classes. Some of the Rubies they made…” She shook her head, Ruby’s hand tightening slightly on his shoulder. “But she’s on Earth now. You can help her, I know you can.”

“Oh…” Steven’s face crumpled slightly before he shook himself and brightened. “Yeah, you’re right. She’s on Earth now! There’s loads of ways to talk without talking! Connie was talking about one just the other day… Oh yeah! Sign language- talking with your hands! How’d you feel about that, P- Merla?” His words came tumbling out in a blur, excitement at being able to help the timid gem taking over. 

Merla bowed her head in a nod again, a small smile pulling at her lips. 

“Ok! Now we just need to introduce you to the others!”

As if on cue, the Warp Pad chimed again, the two figures deposited by the light still mid-argument.

“Lighten up, P! It was a prank, get over it!”

“Well excuse me if I don’t find being attacked by a slimy octopus funny! We were on a mission, I’ve told you before, you need to be more sensible.”

“Yeah, whatever. Yo Ste-man! Anything cool happen while we were gone?” Amethyst turned away from Pearl and bounded over to Steven, stopping short when she caught sight of Merla.

“Amethyst! Pearl! I’m so glad you’re back! I’d like you to meet Merla, the newest member of the family!” Steven exclaimed. 

Merla sank into a curtsey of welcome, sheer skirt pooling around her ankles. 

Pearl grimaced, looking away. Sparing Pearl a quick glance, Steven touched Merla gently on the arm

“Hey Merla, you don’t need to do that anymore, remember?” He chided gently. Merla glanced at him, her expression silently asking, 'how else should I do'? 

With a smile, Steven waved at her. “This is how we say hi on Earth.”

Still looking confused, she faced an amused looked Amethyst and a less than pleased Pearl and imitated Steven’s wave perfectly. 

Amethyst grinned and sauntered over. “Ha! Looks like she’s catching on fast! Don’t worry BP, you’ll get the hang of it! Humans are weird, but they’re lots of fun! Even if they don’t think biting is a good greeting…”

“Yes yes, very good, she can wave. But a Pearl like her is likely still loyal to her Owner. It isn’t safe for her to stay here.” Pearl’s unimpressed voice cut through Amethyst’s gushing. “We should have bubbled her while she was still in her gem.”

“Pearl. We’ve been over this.” Garnet said firmly.

“Yeah!” Steven said “She helped us on the ship, and Garnet promised we’d look after her. We can teach her how to live on Earth- like you learned!” Pearl flinched as if she had been slapped, and Steven winced, knowing he’d touched on a sore spot.

Straightening, Pearl looked venomously at the darker Pearl and turned towards the Temple door. “Fine. She can stay. But you’ll soon learn that Homeworld Pearls aren’t as easy to train as you think.” With that, she disappeared into her waterfall filled room.

Steven looked after her, hurt and guilt painted on his expression. Garnet squeezed his shoulder reassuringly again, drawing his attention to her. 

“Pearl is finding all this hard. It’s bringing back some bad memories, and she just needs some time alone. I’ll talk to her later, don’t worry. Now, it’s getting late, and I think someone needs to go to bed. How about you show Merla where she can stay, and see if she’d like to learn how to sleep?” She finished with a small smile.

Steven cheered up immediately, taking Merla’s hand with gentle patience and leading her enthusiastically over to the sofa, opening the closet to take out spare blankets and pillows. He encouraged her to lay down on the sofa-turned-bed, instructing her to make herself comfortable.

“Sleep is really important to humans, it lets us recharge for a new day, kinda like going into your gem, except we do it every night. Gems don’t need to do it, but Amethyst says it still feels really good. Now, you just need to close your eyes and think about nothing. You might dream, that’s like a recording that plays in your mind, except it feels real, and doesn’t have to make sense. But They don’t hurt, and they can be really cool! So just close your eyes, get nice and comfy, and I’ll see you tomorrow!” He waited until she had done as he instructed, and then made his way to the bathroom to get ready for bed. 

Before long, he was tucking himself into bed, MC bear bear in hand. Whispering a soft goodnight to Merla, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep almost immediately.


	3. A Discussion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl tries to deal with her feelings about the new addition to their group. Garnet steps in to help her.

Clang! Clang! 

Pearl struck again and again at the army of Holo-Pearls around her, each blow harder than the next. Water dashed her opponents as she danced and fought through the shallow pool in her Temple room. She threw everything she had into the fight, her sabre poofing hologram after hologram, more appearing as each was destroyed. If she had been human, she would have collapsed long ago. Even as a Gem, her limbs ached, and her breath came in short spurts. Another hologram came up behind her and she turned with a scream, only for her sword to be caught in a very solid hand.

“Pearl. That’s enough.” Garnet’s stern voice cut through the frustration clouding her mind. She tried futilely to pull the blade from the fusion’s hand, but her strength, kept going purely by her ongoing persistence, had finally left her. She let go of the blade, watching with dull eyes as Garnet let it drop with a splash to the floor.

“This isn’t like you Pearl. You can’t just hide yourself away. You’re hurting yourself- you’re hurting Steven!” Garnet stated, her voice not changing from its firm tone.

Pearl slumped, allowing her tired legs to fold beneath her. Garnet knelt beside her, a silent but sturdy companion.

Pearl mouthed for a few moments silently, trying to find the words to explain herself. 

“I- I can’t be out there. I can’t be around her. She reminds me of everything I worked so hard to put behind me, everything I worked to rid myself of! She stands there curtseying to all who look at her, afraid to even speak around others, and all I can think is, that could be me.” She looked down, uncharacteristically subdued. She jumped slightly as a larger hand covered hers. Meeting Garnet’s gaze, she stared surprised into three uncovered eyes as the fusion began to talk.

“You need to be less hard on yourself Pearl. You’re not her, not anymore. You moved yourself beyond that. You set yourself free. You taught yourself to fight, you summoned a weapon through sheer willpower! When I first met you, when I was newly formed, I was terrified of you. So, don’t put yourself down, don’t forget what you became, what you are now.”

Pearl stared wide-eyed and awestruck at her usually quiet friend, the impassioned speech lifting her spirits in a way no amount of frenzied training could. She lay back, splashing into the shallow pool and feeling it sooth her limbs. She heard Garnet chuckle as the fusion lay beside her, arms behind her head. Together they watched the gentle movement of the waterfalls, relaxing together like they hadn’t in a long time.

After some time of comfortable silence, Garnet spoke up in a hushed voice, her smile an audible entity. “Do you remember how it felt when you first realised you were free, and finally your own Gem?” 

Pearl let out a breathy laugh. “Yes. The first time I said ‘no’ to Rose. I was horrified, but then it hit me, that I could do it, that I could do as I liked. It was the best feeling I’ve ever had.” She whispered almost reverently. She felt more than saw Garnet turning to look at her. 

“I remember your face the first time you summoned your spear, in that fight against the Spinel squadron. I don’t know who was more surprised, you or them!” She broke off with a snort of laughter.

“That was quite a moment! The look on that Violet Spinel’s face when I ran her through- I’ll never forget that.”

“Don’t you think Merla should get to experience that, too?” Garnet asked, her voice still soft. Pearl fell silent, turning back to watch the waterfalls.

“She… she didn’t choose to be free. We don’t know who she was made for, or how loyal she still is to them! I know you say there’s no danger, but something about her bothers me, and not just the fact that she’s a Pearl. Something about her… it makes me want to get as far away as possible. Something very wrong.” Pearl trailed off, frustration tinting her voice at her inability to explain herself. She hated being unable to fully express herself. It reminded her far too much of when she was just a possession, speaking only when ordered to.

Beside her, Garnet heaved a sigh, closing all three of her eyes. “I think I know why you feel like that.”

Pearl looked over at her long-time friend as she seemed to steel herself for what she was about to say.

“When we were talking earlier, Merla revealed that she couldn’t talk- that she had never been able to talk. I think she was made that way, deliberately. She feels wrong because she is wrong. Homeworld changed her Gem, made her defective forcefully.” Garnet’s voice was equal parts disgusted and troubled. 

Pearl felt herself beginning to shake, felt the utter disgust coursing through her body. Homeworld were making defective gems? For what purpose? To stop them from rebelling? At that thought she froze, realisation and horror chilling her very being.

“It’s my fault.” She muttered monotonously. Garnet looked over, confused. 

“What?”

“It’s my fault,” Pearl repeated louder, but no less monotonous. She closed her eyes, shame and guilt making even her gem feel cold and heavy. 

“I’m the renegade Pearl. I rebelled. And now they’re making broken gems, hurting gems, to stop another Pearl rebelling.” 

“Pearl. It isn’t your fault. Homeworld did it, not you. You didn’t make her, didn’t hurt her, any of them.” Pearl’s figure remained stiff and withdrawn.

“You didn’t hurt her, and it wasn’t your fault, but you can help her now.” Pearl turned her head slightly to look at Garnet. “Merla is here now and seems willing to learn. She just needs someone to guide her. You could do that, show her how to set herself free.”

Pearl looked at Garnet suspiciously. “That’s what you wanted me to do all along, isn’t it?”

Garnet smiled mysteriously and summoned her visor, readjusting it. “Well, I had just intended to get you to be civil, but there was a possibility you would agree to help her.” Her visor glinted, reflecting the blue light of the room. 

Pearl stared at her a moment longer before breaking eye contact.

“Fine. I’ll try to teach her, but not right away. I want to get to know her, get used to her first. Besides, Steven seems to be having fun with her. So yes, I’ll help her. But not yet.” Pearl finished. She glanced over to see Garnet’s smug smirk, and her pensive frown morphed into a small grin.

“Don’t give me that look!” she said, jumping to her feet gracefully. With a spin, she sent a splash of water cascading over the fusion. 

Garnet followed Pearl up with a matching grin and splashed her back, the two normally mature Gems engaging in a water fight which left them doubled over with laughter.

“Steven is going to be spending some time with Merla tomorrow, teaching her about Earth. Why don’t you join them?” Garnet suggested after they had caught their breath. “You don’t have to teach her, just be there with them.”

Pearl gave her a sideways glance but conceded. “Very well. That way, I might be able to stop him overwhelming her.” 

She noticed Garnet smiling smugly again but decided to ignore it. It was nice to see the normally stoic Gem expressing herself freely like this. Now that their moment of light-hearted fun had ended, she could feel the tiredness creeping up her limbs once more. She bid Garnet goodnight, smiling when the fusion understood immediately and left for her Room in the Temple. She made her way to the top of one of the waterfalls, sitting gracefully amid the gentle water. 

Closing her eyes, she relaxed her body and let her imagination fill her mind. She would worry about tomorrow when it came. For tonight, she would unwind and rest, the happy atmosphere left by Garnet still lingering.

She allowed herself to lay back, and had anyone looked in, she would have appeared to be asleep amongst the gentle water features, a content smile on her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all again for reading this, and for your comments and kudos. They all make me so happy. I hope you enjoyed this new addition!


	4. Reconciliation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A long due discussion between two Pearls finally happens, but how will it end?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you guys read this, let me say thank you to everyone who leaves Kudos, or writes a comment, however short or detailed. Each one makes me so happy. If anyone has any ideas or events you want to see happen in the future of this story, feel free to leave those suggestions in the comments, or even predictions for what you think might happen.
> 
> Thank you guys again for being the best readers a writer could have, and I hope you enjoy this latest chapter!

The room was still dark when Pearl entered, the barest hints of pre-dawn light filtering in through the many windows. That is, the room was dark except for the flickering light shining out from Steven’s corner of the room. _Steven must have left his TV on again_ she thought with fond exasperation. She made her way over quietly but stopped short as she reached the sofa where Steven had apparently made a bed for the other Pearl- _for Merla_ she reminded herself.

Merla was laying on the sofa, covered by a soft blanket, and sleeping, something Pearl had never seen the sense or attraction of. Above her was the source of the light- a shimmering projection of what Steven had described as dreams.

Feeling somewhat as if she was intruding, but unable to take her eyes away, she stood and watched the images unfold.

_The hall was huge and sprawling, elegant beams lining the ceiling. The entire room was a deep, glittering blue, from the walls to the floor to the Gems within._

_“Angel Aura Quartz to see you, My Sapphire!” A saluting Agate reported._

_“Let us see what these new Quartzes have to offer.” A smooth voice responded coolly. “Escort them in,” she called._

_A large gem entered the hall, huge pastel hair and flowing top alienating her from the stiff and uniformed quartzes at guard positions around the hall. Her pale, iridescent gem shone with gentle rainbows on her arm as she stood to attention before the imposing, dark blue gem._

_“My Clarity” She saluted, her voice surprisingly husky._

_“Where are the others?” The cool voice demanded harshly. The Quartz didn’t even flinch, keeping her head bowed slightly, but still radiating confidence._

_“I was the only one to emerge intact, my Clarity. The others were off colour and were dealt with immediately.” If she felt any resentment at this fact, she didn’t show even a drop of it._

_“How disappointing, I had hoped for so much more from your cut of gem. The kindergarteners assigned must be entirely inadequate. Very well. You will be stationed in the primary contemplation spire. Do try to affirm that creating your cut of Quartz wasn't a mistake. I hope you do not prove to be a disappointment. You are dismissed. Pearl, lead her to the Galaxy spire.”_

_Pearl must have curtseyed, her vision filling with the dark flowing skirts and robes of her Sapphire. A wave of an elegant, almost black hand ended her bow, and she straightened and moved away._

_Angel Aura Quartz saluted again and left the hall, with Pearl apparently following her._

_A minute or so passed in silence until Angel Aura Quartz turned and with a smile said, “Hey, aren’t you supposed to be leading?” Her tone was teasing, but Pearl only seemed to bow, and the vision moved into the lead._

_Silence fell again for the rest of the short journey. The vision stopped before a towering spire, elegant and curved. Pearl seemed to bow again, her black pumps the only thing visible._

_“You don’t talk much, huh?” Angel Aura Quartz’s voice rang out. The only response was a deeper bow._

_“Well, thank you, Pearl. That will be all.” And with that, Angel Aura Quartz approached the Spire, saluting the Quartzes on guard duty. The vision lingered on her until she could no longer be seen before fading away._

Pearl blinked, having been entranced by the projection. Questions spiralled in her mind, but she forced herself to push them aside, focussing her attention on Merla, who seemed to be waking.

She approached the darker Pearl, watching with some amusement as the gem attempted to rub the sleep from her eyes.

“I see Steven introduced you to the joys of human sleeping.” She commented lightly, her voice lowered so the snoring boy in the loft wouldn’t be woken. She could have cursed herself when Merla jumped and immediately sank into a deep curtsey.

“I… didn’t mean to scare you. I just… I mean…” she stuttered out, feeling like a human child trying to get out of trouble. Merla remained in her deep curtsey, the deeply ingrained apology to an offended gem rang all too deeply in Pearl, leaving a bad taste in her mouth.

“I- Would you please stop that!?” She snapped, her voice wavering between tears and annoyance. Merla straightened immediately, a strange expression on her face.

Pearl took a deep breath.  “What I meant to say is… I’m sorry for how I acted last night. I… It’s hard for me, to see another Pearl after I fought so hard and after I… did what I did to be free. But I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. I Just…Shall we start over?” Pearl said, nervous in a way she hadn’t been for thousands of years.

Merla moved as if to curtsey again, but stopped herself at the last second. She looked at Pearl for a long moment, then nodded once.

Pearl glanced out the window, where the sun was staining the ocean with gold.

“Steven will be waking up soon- would you like to help me make him brea- food?” she asked.

Merla smiled slightly, smoothing down her skirt and nodding. Pearl smiled in return, the joy of being productive was a feeling she knew well.

With a wave, she led Merla into the kitchen and began to show her how to make Steven’s favourite breakfast.

 

…

 

Steven’s room was already awash with morning light when he woke, yawning away the last tendrils of sleep. Sliding out of his bed, he made his way down the stairs noticing that he was not the first to rise.

Pearl was busy in the kitchen, making him breakfast as she often did. For someone who hated eating food, she seemed to take great joy in making it.

To his surprise, however, Pearl wasn’t the only Gem up. Standing near her was Merla, passing items to Pearl as requested. The pale gem seemed slightly tenser than she normally would be while cooking, her voice just a little strained and her movements not nearly as fluid as they were ordinarily.

When Steven approached the kitchen area though, she greeted him enthusiastically, serving him a plate loaded high with pancakes and maple syrup.

“Thanks, Pearl! Thanks, Merla!” he said around a mouthful of food. He cleared his plate quickly, determined to finish the meal while it was still hot. No sooner had he finished when Pearl swept his plate away, handing it to Merla who was already washing the pan and utensils.

Steven looked back and forth between the two of them, smiling.

 “Its great to see you two getting along,” he commented happily.

Pearl jumped slightly at his words before letting out a slightly awkward laugh. “Yes, well I had a talk with Garnet last night.” Her face became sombre. Approaching Steven, she crouched down, so she was eye-level with him.

“Steven, I’m sorry for how I’ve been acting lately. It’s… it’s hard for me, being around another Pearl after so long. But I shouldn’t have lashed out. I can’t promise I’ll be able to make friends immediately, but I’m certainly going to try to get along with her. I just need you to be patient with me… with both of us. This is going to be scary for her.”

Steven nodded, an understanding smile on his face.

“I know it’s hard, Garnet talked to me last night, too. But we can all get through this, I know we can.”

Pearl stared at him in amazement for a moment, before chuckling and shaking her head. “You’re so much like your mother. She would have said the same thing.”

She rose to her feet gracefully and grinned, hands on her hips. Now, I think it’s time you got dressed for the day. I do believe we have a new Gem to introduce to life on Earth, and I don’t think that’s going to happen while you’re still in your bedclothes.

Steven grinned and left the room with a simple, “Yes, Pearl.” Moments later, the sounds of running water filtered through the bathroom door.

 

…

 

Pearl sat on the long sofa and watched as Steven taught Merla about life on Earth. Amethyst and Garnet had left not long after they had started, to search for Malachite and Peridot again.

So far, the lesson seemed to be going well. To her delight, Steven was an excellent teacher, going over things slowly and clearly. It had taken some time before Merla had interjected at all, but after some (or a great amount) of encouragement from Steven, she was now stopping him or asking him to go over certain points, using hand signals he had created.

For her part, Merla was the perfect student, listening attentively and soaking up the information like a sponge. Steven had gone over his ‘little guide to humans’ and ‘weird facts about Earth’ as he had named his lessons (titles written and illustrated by him on a whiteboard) and was currently going over a brief geography lesson using a book Pearl had given him.

Merla would occasionally point to a picture in the book, of an animal or weather pattern, her fear of punishment slowly fading as her curiosity took over. Pearl still felt wrong being around her, she had to stop herself from fleeing into her room whenever the dark Pearl looked at her, but even she had to admit it was wonderful to watch a Gem come out of her shell and explore what she _could_ be with the freedom to be herself.

The lesson ended up stretching past lunch, with Pearl leaving them for a short time to make Steven a sandwich. They covered all manner of subjects, from a brief history of Earth (an illustrated guide) to the animals of Earth (And which are cutest). When it came time for Steven to eat his evening meal, he insisted on making it himself because “You’ve made all my food today Pearl, and I want to cook now!”

From the small smile on Merla’s face and the excited babble Steven launched at Garnet when she returned, Pearl surmised it had been quite a successful day. And maybe, just maybe, teaching Merla wouldn’t be quite as arduous a task as she had first thought.


	5. Lessons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie meets Merla for the first time and helps her to find a new way to communicate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> I'm sorry for my absence. I've been really ill for a while, and haven't been able to look at a computer screen due to vertigo. I'm on the mend now though, so I'm back with another chapter!
> 
> University has also restarted, and so updates will be at the weekends now, rather than on Wednesday.
> 
> With all that said, I hope you all enjoy the chapter, and if anyone has any constructive criticism, questions or suggestions, or just want to say hi, please leave a comment below.

Steven woke up with a jolt to his phone ringing beside his bed. Rubbing his bleary eyes, he answered the phone with a groggy greeting.

“Steven!” the very awake voice of his best friend bombarded him.

“Hi, Connie. What’s up?” Steven yawned, glancing at his clock, which read a far too early 7 am.

“I know it’s early, but school was cancelled today for teacher training, and my parents have to work, so Mom was asking if I could come to your house today?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah sure. No problem.” He answered.

“Great thanks, we’re almost at yours now so I’ll see you soon! Bye!” Connie said rapidly before hanging up. 

“Wait what?!” Steven looked down at his banana Pyjamas and dropped his phone on the bed, running to the bathroom with a cry.

Barely ten minutes later, there was a knock at the door and Connie entered, her mother right behind her in work uniform.

Steven was sat at the kitchen island, eating breakfast casually as if he had been up for hours and his hair wasn’t dripping constantly. Merla stood to attention in the kitchen, and after a quick glance at Steven for conformation, gave both Mahashwarens a perfect smile and wave.

Connie grinned and waved back, while her mother nodded in greeting.

“Thank you for agreeing to care for Connie today, I’ll collect her after work. She has homework to do, and a list of foods she can have. I can’t stay long, so I’ll see you later.” She finished, giving her daughter a hug and a peck on the cheek.

Steven and Connie waved her off while Merla cleared and washed the dishes. After Dr Maheshwaren was out of sight, Connie turned to Steven with a huge grin on her face.

“This is so great! I get a day off school, and I get to spend it with you! Plus, I finally get to meet Merla- I can’t believe she’s been living with you for a month and I haven’t been able to see her! Stupid exams at bad times.”

“Oh yeah! Merla, this is my best friend Connie! And Connie, meet the newest member of the family, Merla!” Steven introduced.

Merla waved again, and Connie returned the gesture, her grin widening.

“Oh right! I brought my sign language notes and book, I thought I could try teaching Merla some while I was here, like we discussed. I don’t know everything, but I’ve been learning for a couple of years now, so I’m pretty good, plus I got that prize in school I was telling you about, Steven. I can get you guys started on the basics, at least.”

“That sounds great!” Steven exclaimed. “What do you think, Merla, do you want to try learning some real sign language?”

Merla nodded once with a small smile before pausing. She held her hands in a circle on her forehead before moving them so they were in front of her, palms facing out.

“You want Pearl and Garnet to learn too?” Steven clarified. Merla nodded again.

“Great! I’ll go get them! This is going to be so exciting!” Steven called over his shoulder excitedly as he rushed off towards the temple.

A short while later, Pearl, Garnet, Merla and Steven were sat on the sofa facing Connie. Various books littered the table, as well of sheets of paper covered in illustrations and directions.

“OK, I’ll start off by teaching you the Alphabet.” Connie said to her ‘class’. “That way, you can spell out words until you know the signs, plus its just a really good place to start.

She held her hand out, fingers fisted and pointing away from her and her thumb pointing straight up. 

“This is the sign for A…” 

She guided them through the Alphabet, correcting them as they tried out the signs for themselves, and giving them words to spell out as they progressed.

They stopped for lunch several hours into the lesson, having become fairly confident using the alphabet. The gems in the group seemed to catch on to and remember the signs much better than Steven could. He was doing well, Connie had said several times, but he mixed up some of the letters still.

After lunch, and another go over the alphabet, Connie started teaching them some simple, important words, ‘ I’, ‘you’, ‘me’, and others, enough for extremely simple communication.

They practiced these signs for hours, much as they had the alphabet. Before they knew it, evening had dimmed the sky, and Dr Maheshwaren had returned to collect a tired but very proud Connie.

Over the next few weeks Connie returned whenever she could. She taught them about how to string sentences together, and started them on phrases, then full sentences and finally proper, if limited and slightly stilted, conversations. 

Steven had made good use of the books Connie left at the Beach House for them, teaching himself signs and phrases that the gems hadn’t thought to ask about- types of food, sharing emotion, describing family. He showed Connie his newly learned signs and let her correct him, and together they taught the Gems. With the Gems’ affinity for languages, and Steven’s love of learning, they powered through the basics, and by the time two months had gone by, they were holding simple conversations with ease.

Merla joined in these conversations, still excited at the notion of being able to communicate properly. But she had yet to initiate a conversation, despite Steven’s prompting. She would only ‘speak’ when spoken to and getting her to give an honest opinion rather than a bland agreement was frustratingly hard- ‘like getting ice from a Ruby’ as Amethyst had so politely put.

Of course, Garnet had debunked that statement by holding up Ruby’s hand and chilling the air around it. Steven and Amethyst fell over laughing, and Garnet seemed quite proud of herself, a small grin visible beneath her visor. Even Pearl was hiding a laugh behind her hand, shaking her head at the antics of her family.  
...  
_'What would you like to eat?' _Merla signed to Steven a few mornings later. He had long got used to the fact that Merla liked cooking and insisted on making him breakfast.__

__“Hmmm, I dunno Merla. What do you fancy cooking?” It was a common routine. Steven would try to encourage her to make her own choice, but her response never changed._ _

___'I will cook whatever you would like to eat' _Merla signed, long fingers forming their shapes and positions with ease.___ _

____Steven sighed, and almost responded with his usual request of waffles, but stopped, an idea forming. “I want a surprise.” He said, a grin forming around his words._ _ _ _

____Merla tilted her head in a confused manner._ _ _ _

____“I want you to surprise me with something! Anything! I love surprises! I’m going to go have a shower, and when I come back, then I’ll eat your surprise!” he said at rapid speed before running off to the bathroom._ _ _ _

____Merla watched him go, then turned to look at the empty kitchen, before removing pans and ingredients from their respective cupboards._ _ _ _

____Steven made sure his shower was extra long, staying in until the bathroom was full of steam, and his fingers and toes were prunes (though thankfully not literally). He dried himself and got dressed in his usual outfit, excited about what Merla might have done with her task._ _ _ _

____The living room smelt lovely when he entered, followed by a cloud of steam. Merla stood behind the kitchen island, hands folded neatly. She turned around to the oven when she saw him coming, and as he sat down she set a dish covered with a small pale dome, peaked and browned, in front of him._ _ _ _

____“Wow! This is a great surprise Merla! I love meringue!” He cut into the dome, his knife slicing through more than just meringue. In the centre of the dome was still-frozen ice cream, the sweet flavours and differing temperatures colliding magnificently on Steven’s tongue._ _ _ _

____“This is the best surprise ever, Merla! It’s a surprise in a surprise! And even better, you chose to do it. Doesn’t it feel great? To choose whatever you want to do?” He asked, eating more of the delicious breakfast-dessert._ _ _ _

____Merla looked at him, obviously pleased that he liked her creation. _'I like surprises' _. She signed.  
Steven inwardly cheered at her response but didn’t interrupt as she carried on.___ _ _ _

_______'I like seeing you like it. Doing this was…fun.' _____ _ _ _ _

________“That’s great!” Steven exclaimed, placing his cutlery down on his now-empty plate. “You can make surprises every morning if you want. And getting surprises are fun, too!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________His enthusiasm was obviously infections, as her smile widened into what was almost a grin._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________'Yes. I want to make surprises for you.' _She signed.  
Steven cheered, and jumped up to hug her. He ended the hug sooner than he normally would, not wanting to overwhelm the dark gem.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I can’t wait to find out what you’ll make next! There’s so much for you to choose from! Mornings are going to be the best now!” he said enthusiastically._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Merla cleared away his dish, already thinking about the next day’s surprise. She really did like the concept of a surprise, and she especially liked choosing the surprise. Having that small choice had made her feel so good inside. She knew she shouldn’t feel good about that, but Steven seemed to like it when she made surprises too, and she felt especially good when Steven was happy.  
Her inner thoughts dealt with, she decided she would prove that she was the best surprise-chooser on Earth. That way, she might always be able to make Steven’s surprises, and that, she knew, would make her very happy indeed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read my little story. If you liked it, please leave a Kudos and a comment, they inspire me.  
> Constructive criticism and ideas for future chapters are both welcome!


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